Centrifugal fan

ABSTRACT

A centrifugal fan, the rotor of which is driven through the agency of a support plate from the drive shaft of a motor or from the shaft of a V-belt drive, and incorporating a housing having a drive opening, a suction connection and a pressure connection, and wherein the housing is formed of at least three components. The one housing component having the pressure connection can be shifted or displaced relative to the other two side components having the drive opening and the suction connection, and can be fixed by means of a holding mechanism in desired position. According to the invention, the rotor is detachably connected with the support plate, and the ring-shaped disks of the rotor having the buckets or blades each possess at least two holes arranged symmetrically with respect to one another and extending coaxially with respect to the axis of the rotor.

[ Mar. 19, 1974 ABSTRACT the rotor of which is driven through rom thedrive shaft of a belt drive, and incorpoa housing having a driveopening. a suction conand wherein the anism in desired position.According to the rotor is detachably connected with 3 Claims, 2 DrawingFigures the support plate, and the ring-shaped disks of the rotor havingthe buckets or blades each possess at least two holes arrangedsymmetrically with respect to one another and extending coaxially withrespect to United States Patent Brechbuhl CENTRIFUGAL FAN Inventor:Heinrich Brechbuhl,

l-lombergstrasse 56, 3612 Steffisburg. Switzerland June 19, 1972 Appl.No.: 264,243

[22] Filed:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 1 O H m mm w 2 2 4 4 4 9 2 l 7 07N l m m M n 2 m M 3 m 4 00 a 6 m m 2 5 I. l 9 a y 04 .m l 4/m w 4 m S um Mm 1 m of W m Fm L u C mm m QM M U [F N N U 55 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS Pmmiuummm 3791.961

SHEEI 2 (IF 2 FIG. 2

CENTRIFUGAL FAN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventionrelates to a new and improved centrifugal fan or ventilator, the rotorof which is driven through the agency of a support plate from the driveshaft of a motor or from the shaft of a V-belt drive, said centrifugalfan comprising a housing having a drive opening, a suction connectionand a pressure connection, the housing being formed of at least threecomponents, wherein the one component with the pressure connection canbe displaced relative to the other side components with the driveopening and the suction connection and can be fixedly clamped in desiredposition by means of a holding or retaining mechanism.

The heretofore known centrifugal fans possess a unilateral or one-sideconstruction, that is, the erection of the rotor remains unchanged witha construction of the fan mounted at a drive shaft.

This is a considerable drawback, expecially for such installations whereoftentimes there is required a change in the direction of the air flow.In order to meet this requirement, the conventional fans must be rebuiltor a new type must be acquired suitable for fulfilling the encounteredneeds.

However, there are also known to the art fan or ventilatorconstructions, the housing of which has two oppositely situatedopenings, which, on the one hand, are closed by a motor housing, and onthe other hand, by a suction connection or stud. wherein both suchcomponents are detachably secured to flanges of the fan housing. In thiscase, the motor housing with the rotor and the suction connection can bemutually shifted or displaced, whereby also the pressure connection isalso displaced through 180.

The drawback of this proposed solution resides in the fact that at leastthree components of the fan must be shifted or displaced in order torealize the desired effect. Furthermore, the drive shaft extends to theregion of the rotor, so that the rotor together with the motor housingmust be exchanged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hence, it will be noted that the art is stillin need of a centrifugal fan which is not associated with theaforementioned drawbacks and limitations of the prior art proposalsdiscussed above. Therefore, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a new and improved construction of centrifugal fanor ventilator which effectively and reliably fulfills the existing needin the art and is not associated with the aforementioned drawbacks andlimitations of the heretofore considered state-of-the-art proposals.

Another and more specific object of the present invention relates to acentrifugal fan construction which overcomes the previously discusseddrawbacks and the rotor of which as well as also pressure connection ofwhich can be shifted in a most simple manner through 180 to the oppositeside.

Now, in order to implement these and still further objects of theinvention, which will become more readily apparent as the descriptionproceeds, the invention contemplates that the rotor is detachablyconnected with the support plate and that the ring-shaped disks of therotor having the blades each possesses at least two mutuallysymmetrically arranged holes which extend coaxially with regard to theaxis of the rotor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be betterunderstood and objects other than those set forth above, will becomeapparent when consideration is given to the following detaileddescription thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexeddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of centrifugal fan ofventilator according th this invention as veiwed from the suction side;and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the centrifugal fan depicted in FIG.I together with a drive motor, and viewed substantially along the linesII-II thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Describing now thedrawings, the centrifugal fan or ventilator l depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2,as contemplated by this development, can be mounted at the drive sidedirectly at the drive shaft 2 of a suitable drive mechanism, here in theform of a drive motor 3. This drive motor 3 embodies a hub disk 5 keyedto drive shaft 2. A support plate 12 is threadably connected with thehub disk 5, and at the support plate there is attached by means ofscrews 7 the ring-shaped disk 60 of a rotor 6. Rotor 6 of fan 1 isprovided with inclined extending blades or buckets 60 which extendbetween the two ring-shaped disks 6a and 6b of the rotor 6. The entirerotor 6 is formed of a suitable plastic material and therefore easilycan be turned through 180", following loosening of the screws 7 at thedisk 6a, and by means of the disk 6b can be again mounted at the supportplate 12 and again threadably attached. For this purpose there areprovided eleven holes or apertures 8 formed at both disks 6a and 6b,these holes 8 being mutually symmetrically arranged with regard to oneanother and coaxially with respect to the rotor axis. Hence, the driveof the rotor 6 occurs through the agency of the drive shaft 2, thekeyed-on hub disk 5 and the support plate 12 threadably connected tosuch hub disk 5, wherein the rotor 6 is also supported by such driveunit.

The rotor 6 is surrounded by a housing 1 l which consists of threedetachable portions or components. The side portion 11b of the housing11 which is located perpendicular to the rotor axis at the drive side ofthe fan 1 will be seen to possess a drive opening 9 through which isinserted the hub disk 5. The other side portion 11c locatedperpendicular to the rotor axis and at the suction side of the fan 1possesses a suction connection or stud l0 and the peripheral housingportion 11a a pressure connection or stud 13. Each of the side housingcomponents 11b and possess a projection or flange 11b and 11crespectively which extends over the entire periphery of the associatedside portions or components 11b and 11c respectively. The projections11b and 11c respectively bear against an associated projection or flange11a of the peripheral housing portion or component 11a, and wherein eachsuch projection 11a is respectively formed at one side of the peripheralhousing component 11a. These projections 11a extend about the entireperiphery of the projections 11b and 110'. The projections 11 a, 11b,and lie, and therefore the individual components of the housing 1 1, aredetachably connected with one another by two clamping rings 14a and 14bwhich surround these projections.

Because the individual components or portions 11a, 11b and 11c of thehousing 11 are formed of a suitable plastic material, just as was thecase for the rotor 6, it is possible after releasing the clamping screwa which adjustably connects both free ends of the ring 14a constructedas a collar, to remove the peripheral housing component 11a togetherwith the side housing component 110 from the projection 11b of the sidehousing component 1 lb and after the subsequent release of the clampingscrew 15b and the relevant ring 14b. it is possible to again mount in aposition shifted through l80 the projections 11a of the peripheralhousing component 11a at the projections 11b and 110'. Additionally.after loosening of the clamping screws 15a and 15b and the correspondingrings 14a and 14b it it possible to displace the peripheral component11a with the pressure connection or stud 13 along the periphery of thehousing 11 through 360, so that the pressure connection 13 can assumedifferent positions.

It is conceivable that the above-described fan also can be employed witha different type of drive mechanism, for instance also with a motorhaving a V-belt drive. The rotor is then mounted on the shaft of the V-belt drive. The above-described fan is of light construction, itshousing components as well as the rotor can be shifted in the mostsimple manner in order to obtain in a most effortless way the desireddirection of air flow without having to undertake changes inconstruction of the fan or ventilator.

While there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of theinvention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is notlimited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practicedwithin the scope of the following claims. ACCORD- INGLY.

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal fan comprising a rotor having a support plate, drivemeans for said rotor, said rotor being driven through the agency of saidsupport plate by said drive menas, a housing for said rotor having adrive opening, a suction connection and a pressure connection, saidrotor housing being formed of at least three components, one of saidhousing components having the pressure connection, the other of saidhousing components defining two side housing components, one of saidside housing components having the drive opening and the other saidsuction connection, said one housing component having said pressureconnection having means engaging the two side components whereby thesaid one component having the discharge connection is turnable through360 and shiftable by l relative to the other two side housingcomponents, means for retaining the turned respectively shifted housingcomponent in desired fixed position, means for detachably connecting therotor with the support plate, said rotor having at least two ring-shapeddisks equipped with rotor blade means, said ring shaped discs eachpossessing at least two mutually symmetrically arranged holes whichextend coaxially and in parallel with regard to the rotor axis wherebythe rotor maybe shifted 180.

2. The centrifugal fan as defined in claim 1, wherein said one housingcomponent having said pressure connection contains projection means,said retaining means comprising two flat clamping rings located at saidprojection means of said one housing component having said pressureconnection, each of said clamping rings having two respective free endsforming a collar. and a respective clamping screw for adjustablyconnectingwith one another said respective free ends.

3. The centrifugal fan as defined in claim 2, wherein one of said flatclamping rings is positioned on one side of said housing and the otherflat clamping ring is positioned on the opposite side of said housing.

* i it

1. A centrifugal fan comprising a rotor having a support plate, drivemeans for said rotor, said rotor being driven through the agency of saidsupport plate by said drive menas, a housing for said rotor having adrive opening, a suction connection and a pressure connection, saidrotor housing being formed of at least three components, one of saidhousing components having the pressure connection, the other of saidhousing components defining two side housing components, one of saidside housing components having the drive opening and the other saidsuction connection, said one housing component having said pressureconnection having means engaging the two side components whereby thesaid one component having the discharge connection is turnable through360* and shiftable by 180* relative to the other two side housingcomponents, means for retaining the turned respectively shifted housingcomponent in desired fixed position, means for detachably connecting therotor with the support plate, said rotor having at least two ring-shapeddisks equipped with rotor blade means, said ring shaped discs eachpossessing at least two mutually symmetrically arranged holes whichextend coaxially and in parallel with regard to the rotor axis wherebythe rotor maybe shifted 180*.
 2. The centrifugal fan as defined in claim1, wherein said one housing component having said pressure connectioncontains projection means, said retaining means comprising two flatclamping rings located at said projection means of said one housingcomponent having said pressure connection, each of said clamping ringshaving two respectiVe free ends forming a collar, and a respectiveclamping screw for adjustably connecting with one another saidrespective free ends.
 3. The centrifugal fan as defined in claim 2,wherein one of said flat clamping rings is positioned on one side ofsaid housing and the other flat clamping ring is positioned on theopposite side of said housing.